By Subhayan Chakraborty from Perth
Leading India is never an easy task, especially with the regular skipper and key batters missing. But Jasprit Bumrah is cut from a different cloth. Calm and composed during the pre-match press conference on the eve of the Perth Test, Bumrah was fiery and decisive with the ball in the final session of Day 1 against Australia.
In his initial six-over spell, Bumrah caused all sorts of trouble for the hosts. India were under pressure, bowled out for a meagre 150 after a stellar bowling display by the Aussies. Coming off a 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand, and with regular captain Rohit Sharma missing and Shubman Gill ruled out with a thumb injury, the responsibility fell squarely on Bumrah to lead from the front with the ball.
The stand-in skipper started with a no-ball to Usman Khawaja but quickly settled in. His first legal delivery trapped Khawaja in front, though it was marginally too high for a successful review. Bumrah resisted the temptation to go upstairs, displaying his maturity. A couple of deliveries later, Nathan McSweeney, making his debut, was beaten by a nearly unplayable delivery.
The slip cordon, led by Virat Kohli, buzzed with anticipation. Labuschagne survived a peach of a delivery that just evaded the edge of his bat in the first over. Bumrah continued to test Labuschagne, finding the edge and striking the pads multiple times. In one instance, he induced a faint nick, but the edge didn’t carry to the slips due to Labuschagne’s soft hands. On another occasion, Bumrah hit the Aussie batter’s pads as he missed a defensive stroke. Again, Bumrah wisely refrained from reviewing. His patience and tactical brilliance stood out, as he let the game come to him rather than forcing the issue.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
The turning point came when Bumrah switched to bowling around the wicket to Khawaja. A short ball with a sharp away angle forced an edge, which Kohli snapped up at slip. Bumrah was now in his element, and his next victim was the mighty Steve Smith. With an incoming delivery, Bumrah trapped Smith plumb in front for a golden duck—the first time Smith had been dismissed on the first ball of his innings since 2014, when Dale Steyn managed the feat.
Although Bumrah missed the hat-trick, he continued to unsettle the Australian batters. He banged in a short one that struck Labuschagne on the lower ribs, visibly causing discomfort. Yet, Labuschagne soldiered on. Labuschagne later fell to Mohammed Siraj for 2 after a gritty 51-ball vigil.
After a brief rest, Bumrah returned to finish the job. Switching ends, he dismissed Australian skipper Pat Cummins with a peach of a delivery—a flashy drive edged to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. By stumps, Bumrah had extraordinary figures of 4/12 in 9 overs, all from the same end. His 10-over spell yielded just 17 runs, but the real story lay in how he shattered the Australians’ confidence.
Earlier, in the pre-match press conference, Bumrah had remarked that pace-bowling captains are “tactically better.” On Day 1 in Perth, he proved why, delivering a masterclass in seam bowling and captaincy. If Australian pitches are fast and furious, Bumrah has shown he is the perfect driver for Team India.
Also Read: KL Rahul’s dismissal sums up India’s session of doom and gloom